[Rich Ives]

Let me expand a bit.

A few years back (and I don't know if it was in a post or in an article here) someone said (paraphrased) that a college coach once told him that the well pressed uniform was only good up to the first pitch.

Tee's comment ( "I am only saying that a well dressed umpire will normally command a certain amount of respect UNTIL THE FIRST MISSED PITCH OR CLOSE CALL ON THE BASES!" ) goes in the same vein.

Post game discussions about umpires amongst coaches invariably revolve around how the game was called. I've never heard a comment like "Did you notice the piping on their shirts didn't match".

I wrote on this site once that I didn't care if an umpire showed up in cutoffs and a tank top as long as he could umpire. Having lived through many hundreds of games, my view hasn't changed. I've seen attrocious umpires and excellent umpires - both sharp dressers from associations and small town volunteers (attire varies considerably). The manner of dress as an indicator goes away very quickly once the game starts. Once you comprehend that, you can see why attire drops down list considerebly.

We can also see from this and other forums that some umpires have a far greater grasp of the rules and game management than others. I'm not convinced that attire is a factor.

As for store clerks, sometimes it's pretty easy to tell that the hotshot in his store "uniform" is more interested in selling you what benefits him the most versus what benefits you the most.

But it does boil down to how well you umpire. We DO want a consistent strike zone. We don't care if you yell "foul" on a ball popped back over the backstop.

It's about the effort one makes to be good, not unlike the athletes and coaches. To many of us, that means being good, not looking good.